Dena Schulman-Green

Faculty

Dena Schulman-Green Headshot

Dena Schulman-Green

PhD FAAHPM

Associate Professor
Director of the Florence S. Downs PhD Program

1 212 998 5786

433 First Ave
New York, NY 10010
United States

Accepting PhD students

Dena Schulman-Green, MA, EdM, MS, PhD, FAAHPM is Director of the Florence S. Downs PhD Program in Nursing Research and Theory Development and Associate Professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. Her 20+ years in clinical nursing research are grounded in an interdisciplinary background of psychology, gerontology, and palliative care. Schulman-Green’s scholarship centers on self- and family management of serious chronic illness, with an emphasis on early integration of palliative care. She is a lead developer of the internationally recognized Middle Range Theory of Self- and Family Management of Chronic Illness and co-developed the Managing Cancer Care intervention with women and family caregivers facing breast and ovarian cancer. Her funders include the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and the National Palliative Care Research Center.

Currently, Schulman-Green leads and collaborates on various studies related to cancer, dementia, and palliative care. A recognized expert in qualitative and mixed methods research, she consults widely. Schulman-Green is deeply committed to mentorship, routinely involving PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in her work. She serves on the Leadership Development Committee of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

Prior to joining NYU Meyers, Schulman-Green was first a Research Scientist and later an Associate Professor at Yale School of Nursing, where she also directed the Qualitative and Mixed Methods Core of the Center for Biobehavioral Health. Additionally, she held faculty roles in the Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program and the Interprofessional Palliative Care Education Program at Yale School of Medicine and was instrumental in strengthening Yale’s palliative care research infrastructure.

Among her many honors, Schulman-Green has received the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Research Award, the Suzanne Feetham Nurse Scientist Family Research Award, the Yale School of Nursing’s Annie W. Goodrich Award for Excellence in Teaching, and NYU Meyers’ Dean’s Excellence in Mentoring Award. She has also been recognized among the World’s Top 2% of Scientists by Stanford University/Elsevier and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the New York Academy of Medicine.

Schulman-Green received a BA in Psychology and Religion from Boston University, a MA and EdM in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University, and a MS and PhD in Gerontology from University of Massachusetts Boston. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Breast Cancer and Palliative Care at Yale School of Nursing through a U.S. Army Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Training Grant under the mentorship of Drs. Ruth McCorkle and Elizabeth Bradley.

Post-doctorate, Breast Cancer & Palliative Care- Yale School of Nursing
PhD, Gerontology- University of Massachusetts Boston
MS, Gerontology- University of Massachusetts Boston
EdM, Counseling Psychology- Columbia University, Teachers College
MA, Counseling Psychology- Columbia University, Teachers College
BS, Psychology and Religion- Boston University

Chronic disease
Gerontology
Global Health
Health Disparities
Mixed Methods Research
Oncology
Palliative care
Qualitative Research
Research methods
Serious illness
Self and Family Management
Theoretical and conceptual models
Women's health

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Eastern Nursing Research Society
Gerontological Society of America

Dean’s Excellence in Mentoring Award, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing (2025)
Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine (2025)
World’s Top 2% of Scientists, Stanford University/Elsevier (2024)
World’s Top 2% of Scientists, Stanford University/Elsevier (2023)
Fellow, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2023)
World’s Top 2% of Scientists, Stanford University/Elsevier (2022)
Suzanne Feetham Nurse Scientist Family Research Award, Eastern Nursing Research Society (2019)
Annie W. Goodrich Award for Excellence in Teaching, Yale School of Nursing (2017)
Poster Award, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2017)
Poster Award, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2016)
Success Story Award, Center for Disease Control (2010)
Poster Award, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2010)
Ellison Medical Foundation Aging New Scholar Award Nominee, University of Massachusetts Boston (2006)
Research Award, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (2004)
Gerontology Dissertation Book Award, University of Massachusetts Boston (2002)
Sigma Phi Omega Honor Society, University of Massachusetts Boston (1999)
Association for Gerontology in Higher Education/AARP Andrus Foundation Graduate Scholarship in Gerontology (1998)
Margaret Clark Student Paper Award, Association for Anthropology and Gerontology (1998)
Student Paper Award, Massachusetts Gerontology Association (1998)
General Scholarship Award, Columbia University (1993)
Golden Key Honor Society, Boston University (1992)
Inducted into Psi Chi, Psychology Honor Society (1992)

Bereavement services for family caregivers: How often used, why, and why not

Cherlin, E. J., Barry, C. L., Prigerson, H. G., Schulman-Green, D., Johnson-Hurzeler, R., Kasl, S. V., & Bradley, E. H. (2007). Journal of Palliative Medicine, 10(1), 148-158. 10.1089/jpm.2006.0108
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Bereavement services are central to high-quality end-of-life care, however, little is known about how frequently and why such bereavement services are used and not used. We examined family caregiver reports about how often they used bereavement services, predictors of their use, and reported reasons for not using bereavement services. Methods: Prospective cohort study of family caregivers (n = 161) of patients with cancer enrolled with hospice between October 1999 and September 2001. We conducted bivariate and multivariable analyses to determine predictors of bereavement service use, adjusted for a broad range of factors including caregiving experiences, major depressive disorder (MDD), relationship with the deceased, and demographic factors. We used content analysis to summarize responses to open-ended questions concerning why individuals did not use bereavement services. Results: We found that approximately 30% of family caregivers used bereavement services in the year postloss, and the majority of these caregivers used services in the first 6 months postloss. Even among bereaved caregivers with MDD, less than half (47.6%) used bereavement services. Factors associated with using bereavement services included being a spouse caregiver, younger age, having MDD at study enrollment, witnessing highly distressing events pertaining to the patient's death, having assisted the patient with more Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) prior to the patient's death, having greater availability of instrumental support for oneself, and physician communication with the caregiver about the patient's prognosis before the patient's death. The most common given reason for nonuse was the perception that bereavement services were not needed or would not help. Conclusion: Addressing caregiver receptivity to bereavement services will be an important aspect of increasing appropriate use of such services. Future studies might examine specific interventions for reducing barriers and increasing receptivity to bereavement service use.

Pain attitudes and knowledge among RNs, pharmacists, and physicians on an inpatient oncology service.

Xue, Y., Schulman-Green, D., Czaplinski, C., Harris, D., & McCorkle, R. (2007). Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 11(5), 687-695. 10.1188/07.CJON.687-695
Abstract
Abstract
Patients with cancer often experience pain, yet studies continue to document inadequate and inappropriate assessment and management of cancer-related pain. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes and knowledge of inpatient oncology healthcare providers toward pain management by surveying nurses, pharmacists, and physicians working on the inpatient oncology units at an academic medical center. Healthcare providers generally reported positive attitudes toward pain management but were deficient in their knowledge of pain management. The authors suggest that pharmacists become more integral members of palliative care teams and actively participate in rounds. A need exists for educational programs in pain management for healthcare providers, especially for those who do not routinely care for patients with cancer.

Decision making in pain management using the model of sequential trials

Kenefick, A. L., Schulman-Green, D., & McCorkle, R. (2006). Alzheimer’s Care Quarterly, 7(3), 175-184.
Abstract
Abstract
This article describes the use of nursing art to solve problems related to the management of pain in cognitively impaired persons who live in nursing homes. The result of naturalistic inquiry, the Model of Sequential Trials arose from a qualitative study of the beliefs, experiences, and behaviors of nurses managing pain in this context. The model illustrates a strategic process of evaluation, trials, reevaluation, and repeated trials that demonstrates the rationale and process underlying nursing management of pain. Future research is needed to evaluate the model's usefulness in other practice settings and in teaching clinical decision making.

Goal setting as a shared decision making strategy among clinicians and their older patients

Schulman-Green, D. J., Naik, A. D., Bradley, E. H., McCorkle, R., & Bogardus, S. T. (2006). Patient Education and Counseling, 63(1), 145-151. 10.1016/j.pec.2005.09.010
Abstract
Abstract
Objective: Older adults are less likely than other age groups to participate in clinical decision-making. To enhance participation, we sought to understand how older adults consider and discuss their life and health goals during the clinical encounter. Methods: We conducted six focus groups: four with community-dwelling older persons (n = 42), one with geriatricians and internists (n = 6), and one with rehabilitation nurses (n = 5). Participants were asked to discuss: patients' life and health goals; communication about goals, and perception of agreement about health goals. Group interactions were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis. Results: All participants were willing to discuss goals, but varied in the degree to which they did so. Reasons for non-discussion included that goal setting was not a priority given limited time, visits focused on symptoms, mutual perception of disinterest, and the presumption that all patients' goals were the same. Conclusion: Interventions to enhance goal setting need to address key barriers to promoting goals discussions. Participants recognized the benefits of goal setting, however, training and instruments are needed to integrate goal setting into medicine. Practice implications: Setting goals initially and reviewing them periodically may be a comprehensive, time-efficient way of integrating patients' goals into their care plans.

Communication between physicians and family caregivers about care at the end of life: When do discussions occur and what is said?

Cherlin, E., Fried, T., Prigerson, H. G., Schulman-Green, D., Johnson-Hurzeler, R., & Bradley, E. H. (2005). Journal of Palliative Medicine, 8(6), 1176-1185. 10.1089/jpm.2005.8.1176
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Few studies have examined physician-family caregiver communication at the end of life, despite the important role families have in end-of-life care decisions. We examined family caregiver reports of physician communication about incurable illness, life expectancy, and hospice; the timing of these discussions; and subsequent family understanding of these issues. Design: Mixed methods study using a closed-ended survey of 206 family caregivers and open-ended, in-depth interviews with 12 additional family caregivers. Setting/Subjects: Two hundred eighteen primary family caregivers of patients with cancer enrolled with hospice between October 1999 and June 2002 Measurements: Family caregiver reports provided at the time of hospice enrollment of physician discussions of incurable illness, life expectancy, and hospice. Results: Many family caregivers reported that a physician never told them the patient's illness could not be cured (20.8%), never provided life expectancy (40% of those reportedly told illness was incurable), and never discussed using hospice (32.2%). Caregivers reported the first discussion of the illness being incurable and of hospice as a possibility occurred within 1 month of the patient's death in many cases (23.5% and 41.1%, respectively). In open-ended interviews, however, family caregivers expressed ambivalence about what they wanted to know, and their difficulty comprehending and accepting "bad news" was apparent in both qualitative and quantitative data. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that ineffective communication about end-of-life issues likely results from both physician's lack of discussion and family caregiver's difficulty hearing the news. Future studies should examine strategies for optimal physician-family caregiver communication about incurable illness, so that families and patients can begin the physical, emotional, and spiritual work that can lead to acceptance of the irreversible condition.

Nurses' communication of prognosis and implications for hospice referral: A study of nurses caring for terminally ill hospitalized patients

Schulman-Green, D., McCorkle, R., Cherlin, E., Johnson-Hurzeler, R., & Bradley, E. H. (2005). American Journal of Critical Care, 14(1), 64-70. 10.4037/ajcc2005.14.1.64
Abstract
Abstract
• BACKGROUND: Although nurses are ideally situated to facilitate communication about prognosis and hospice referral among patients, patients' family members, and hospital staff, nurses do not always assume this task. • OBJECTIVE: To identify common obstacles to nurses' discussions of prognosis and referral to hospice care with terminally ill patients in the hospital setting. • METHODS: Data from a previous study were analyzed. In that study, a total of 174 experienced staff nurses working full-time in hospital practice areas where terminally ill patients routinely receive care at 6 randomly selected community hospitals in Connecticut participated. Each nurse completed a self-administered, cross-sectional survey. In this study, the open-ended responses of the nurses were examined by using content analysis and descriptive analysis. • RESULTS: The most common obstacles were unwillingness of a patient or the patient's family to accept the prognosis and/or hospice, sudden death or noncommunicative status of the patient, belief of physicians' hesitance, nurses' discomfort, and nurses' desire to maintain hope among patients and patients' families. • CONCLUSIONS: The reasons for noncommunication of prognosis and referral to hospice care by nurses are complex. Because limited discussion between clinicians and patients about prognosis and treatment options can reduce the likelihood of referral to hospice care, improved communication skills may result in more referrals and a smoother transition to hospice.

Unlicensed staff members' experiences with patients' pain on an inpatient oncology unit: Implications for redesigning the care delivery system

Schulman-Green, D., Harris, D., Xue, Y., Loseth, D. B., Czaplinski, C., Donovan, C., & McCorkle, R. (2005). Cancer Nursing, 28(5), 340-347. 10.1097/00002820-200509000-00002
Abstract
Abstract
Although unlicensed staff have routine contact with patients in pain, little research relates to their role with these patients. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of unlicensed inpatient hospital staff caring for cancer patients in pain. We sought to understand pain identification and communication practices, describe common practice situations, and identify training needs. We conducted 4 focus groups with unit secretaries, nurses' aides, and housekeepers (N = 24) on 2 inpatient oncology units at an urban, northeastern teaching hospital. Group processes were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Atlas/ti software and content analysis. Analysis generated 5 issues related to pain in the daily practice of unlicensed staff: perceived function with pain, building relationships with patients, interpreting patients' pain, system issues, and job challenges and coping strategies. Unlicensed staff reported performing important functions related to pain, including alerting nursing staff to patients' pain, and providing psychosocial support. Participants shared difficulties of working with patients in pain and expressed interest in education on pain identification and course of illness. Findings provide insight into the role of unlicensed staff, and have implications for the educational preparation of this group as well as the nature of their participation in the care delivery system.

Will older persons and their clinicians use a shared decision-making instrument?

Naik, A. D., Schulman-Green, D., McCorkle, R., Bradley, E. H., & Bogardus, S. T. (2005). Journal of General Internal Medicine, 20(7), 640-643. 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.0114.x
Abstract
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine experiences of older persons and their clinicians with shared decision making (SDM) and their willingness to use an SDM instrument. DESIGN: Qualitative focus group study. PARTICIPANTS: Four focus groups of 41 older persons and 2 focus groups of 11 clinicians, purposively sampled to encompass a range of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. APPROACH AND MAIN RESULTS: Audiotaped responses were transcribed, coded independently, and analyzed by 3 reviewers using the constant comparative method. Patient participants described using informal facilitators of shared decision making and supported use of an SDM instrument to keep "the doctor and patient on the same page." They envisioned the instrument as "part of the medical record" that could be "referenced at home." Clinician participants described the instrument as a "motivational and educational tool" that could "customize care for individual patients." Some clinician and patient participants expressed reluctance given time constraints and unfamiliarity with the process of setting participatory clinical goals. CONCLUSIONS: Participants indicated that they would use a shared decision-making instrument in their clinical encounters and attributed multiple functions to the instrument, especially as a tool to facilitate agreement with treatment goals and plans.

At the crossroads: making the transition to hospice.

Schulman-Green, D., McCorkle, R., Curry, L., Cherlin, E., Johnson-Hurzeler, R., & Bradley, E. (2004). Palliative and Supportive Care, 2(4), 351-360. 10.1017/s1478951504040477
Abstract
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies reveal that many terminally ill patients never receive hospice care. Among those who do receive hospice, many enroll very close to the time of death. Nationally, between 1992 and 1998, the median length of stay at hospice declined 27%, from 26 to 19 days. In our prior study of 206 patients diagnosed with terminal cancer and using hospice, we found that one-third enrolled with hospice within 1 week prior to death. Late hospice enrollment can have deleterious effects on patients and their family members. The aim of the present study was to characterize common experiences of patients and primary family caregivers as they transition to hospice, focusing on caregiver perceptions of factors that might contribute to delays in hospice enrollment. METHODS: We conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 12 caregivers selected from a population of primary family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer who enrolled with hospice in Connecticut between September 2000 and September 2001. Respondents represented different ages, genders, and kinship relationships with patients. Respondents were asked about the patient's care trajectory, how they first learned about hospice, and their experiences as they transitioned to hospice. NUD*IST software was used for qualitative data coding and analysis. RESULTS: Constant comparative analysis identified three themes common to the experience of transitioning to hospice: (1) caregivers' acceptance of the impending death, (2) challenges in negotiating the health care system across the continuum of care, and (3) changing patient-family dynamics. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Identification of these themes from the caregivers' perspective generates hypotheses about potential delays in hospice and may ultimately be useful in the design of interventions that are consistent with caregivers' needs.

Family perceptions of clinicians' outstanding practices in end-of-life care

Cherlin, E., Schulman-Green, D., McCorkle, R., Johnson-Hurzeler, R., & Bradley, E. (2004). Journal of Palliative Care, 20(2), 113-116. 10.1177/082585970402000208